Canada’s two-tiered process of approving potentially life-saving oncology drugs is preventing cancer patients in some provinces from accessing medication that’s readily available in other parts of the country, according to a new study.

The study, released by conservative think-tank Fraser Institute on Thursday, looks at the effectiveness of the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR), which was established in 2010 to recommend new cancer drugs to all the provinces and territories, except Quebec.

While pCODR recommends drugs for approval, provinces are not required to accept their recommendations. The result is certain cancer drugs are covered by provincial health care plans in some provinces, but not others.

For more details, go to: http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/provinces-taking-too-long-to-approve-potentially-life-saving-cancer-drugs-study-1.1918021